Mark Udall | U.S. Senator for Colorado

Protecting Your Privacy Rights

Our constitutional right to be free from "unreasonable searches and seizures" applies regardless of whether we are talking about letters kept in a desk or emails stored online. Even though the way we connect as Americans has changed - with emails, tweets and Facebook replacing more traditional forms of communication - our constitutional right to privacy must remain protected.

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo

Today, as we gather in our communities to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, let's not forget the historical significance of May 5, 1862, when Mexican forces courageously stood their ground against France's attempts to establish its rule in the Americas during the Battle of Puebla.

WHAT I'M WORKING ON: Fixing Sequestration’s Impact on Travelers, Businesses and Commerce

Strengthening Our Families and Communities

When I came out in support of marriage equality in August 2011, I joined a small core of 18 senators who publicly stood for progress on that issue. Like many Americans, there was a point when I struggled with accepting the idea of marriage for gay and lesbian couples; I thought perhaps civil unions would be a workable compromise. But over my years in Congress, I have met more and more Coloradans who understand what this issue really boils down to: It is about love and commitment, about basic dignity and about being able to protect your families.

WHAT I'M WORKING ON: Managing Healthy Forests While Creating Jobs

Udall Fights for Steep Penalties for Cell Phone Thieves

Building on his successful effort to encourage the Federal Communications Commission and cell phone carriers to work together and build a database of stolen smart phones to prevent them from being reactivated, Sen. Mark Udall continues to lead the fight to help pass the Mobile Device Theft Deterrence Act.  The recently introduced bill, a version of legislation Udall previously cosponsored, would create up to a five-year prison sentence for tampering with a cell phone's unique identification number, similar to how the vehicle identification number (VIN) system deters car theft.  This common-sense legislation will help deter thieves from committing cell phone theft, an often violent crime.

Udall Promises Strong Oversight Over New Drone Policy, Supports Closure of Guantanamo Bay Facility

Mark Udall, who serves on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement following the president's national security policy speech today at the National Defense University.

Udall Introduces Bill to Protect Americans' Privacy from Private Drone Operators

Following the expanding use of privately owned unmanned aerial systems (UAS), Mark Udall introduced the Safeguarding Privacy and Fostering Aerospace Innovation Act today to ensure that Americans' privacy rights are respected and federal laws address this emerging technology. Udall, a leading voice for the safe and responsible development of UASs, said his legislation will ensure that the inevitable development of private-sector drones is done responsibly and does not violate Americans' privacy rights.

Udall Introduces Proposal to Strengthen Wildfire Prevention, Ensure Fires Are Treated the Same as Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Floods

Mark Udall, who serves on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced an amendment to the 2013 Farm Bill today aimed at fundamentally changing how the Federal Emergency Management Agency confronts and prevents wildfires in Colorado and throughout the West. Udall's deficit-neutral amendment, which Sen. Michael Bennet has co-sponsored, places wildfires on par with other natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and tornadoes for which states are eligible to receive 15 percent of total FEMA disaster funds to support mitigation projects.

Udall Welcomes Xcel Energy Effort to Turn Beetle-Killed Timber into Electricity

Mark Udall, who serves on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, welcomed Xcel Energy's move today to spur development of a power plant run on forest biomass. The project, if approved by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, would turn excess biomass and beetle-killed timber into electricity.

Udall Advocates for Balance on Unmanned Aerial Systems Use, Privacy Concerns

Mark Udall, who serves on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, delivered remarks at the RTI International policy forum in Washington, D.C., about Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs), the potential of the UAS industry, privacy concerns surrounding the use of UASs and how our legal framework can accommodate their development.

Udall Urges Senate to Level the Playing Field for Main Street Businesses, Colorado Retailers

Mark Udall urged his colleagues to pass the bipartisan Marketplace Fairness Act, a common-sense bill to level the playing field for Main Street businesses and Colorado's brick-and-mortar retailers. The proposal would end the competitive advantage online-only retailers have over local businesses by authorizing states to require that out-of-state retailers collect local sales taxes that are already owed under current law. The legislation would ensure that Colorado Main Street retailers are not penalized for creating jobs in Colorado.

Udall Presses Energy Secretary Nominee on Support for NREL and Climate Change Initiatives

Mark Udall, who serves on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, pressed Dr. Ernest Moniz, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and President Obama's nominee for Secretary of Energy, on his vision for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, which has developed innovations in renewable energy technologies and generated over 5,500 jobs in Colorado. Udall also addressed climate change as a priority for the U.S. Department of Energy.

ABC 7 Discusses Udall's Brown Canyon National Monument Proposal

On March 28, ABC 7 discussed Udall's Brown Canyon National Monument proposal. Public meetings will be held on the proposal on April 13 and May 18, 2013.

Mark Udall Discusses the Future of "America's Best Idea" at National Parks Conference

On March 19, 2013, Mark Udall delivered a speech on funding America's national parks in the face of budget constraints. Udall, the chairman of the U.S. Senate National Parks Subcommittee, also discussed the need to preserve the heritage and condition of the nation's expansive parks system for future generations to protect and experience.